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PHILADELPHIA - Mike Piranian, former assistant coach at Carnegie Mellon, has been named an assistant coach at the University of Pennylvania. The announcement was made today by James C. Gentle Head Coach of Men's Soccer Rudy Fuller.

"I am extremely grateful to Rudy and the Penn administration for this opportunity to learn and grow as a coach and leader at such a prestigious institution," Piranian said. "I look forward to working with Rudy, Pete, and staff to continue the push for success as a premier program in college soccer."

"I am thrilled to be able to add a quality young coach of Mike's caliber to my staff," Fuller said. "His track record at Carnegie Mellon speaks for itself. Over the past decade, he has played a significant role in developing successful student-athletes and championship teams at both Carnegie Mellon and Washington & Lee. He is a proven winner with a bright future ahead of him. I believe that he will be a tremendous asset to our current student-athletes and our overall program in the years ahead."

During his six seasons at Carnegie Mellon, Piranian helped guide the Tartans to four NCAA Tournament appearances, the most recent coming in 2013. In their four trips to the national tournament during Piranian’s tenure, the Tartans won five matches.

Last season, Piranian and the Tartans reached the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season and finished 2013 ranked No. 18 in the country. That followed a 2012 campaign where Carnegie Mellon won the University Athletic Association (UAA) championship and was ranked as high as No. 4 in the country during the season.

The 2009 team won two NCAA postseason games, set five school records and finished the year as co-champions of the UAA with a 16-3-1 (5-1-1) record. The 2010 team once again won all its non-conference matches and finished with an 11-4-1 mark.

Overall during his six seasons at Carnegie Mellon, Piranian’s teams went 74-25-8 with a 23-14-5 record in the UAA with two UAA Players of the Year, 33 All-UAA selections and 72 All-UAA Academic honorees. The Tartans had 17 NSCAA All-Region selections and three All-Americans while Piranian was on staff, and 16 student-athletes earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors – including the first-ever men’s soccer player to repeat Academic All-America of the Year.

Piranian came to Pittsburgh after spending four years as the assistant coach at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. In 2007, the Generals finished with a 12-3-3 overall record and a runner-up finish in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament after posting a 6-1-2 conference mark. During Piranian's tenure as assistant coach, the Generals posted a 39-19-10 record, winning 12 games in both 2006 and 2007.

While at Washington & Lee, Piranian was involved with every facet of maintaining and improving the successful Generals program including recruiting, scouting, planning and running practices and goalkeeper sessions, game-day preparations, scheduling, travel arrangements and video analysis.

Prior to Piranian's coaching start at Washington & Lee, the Lexington, Va., native worked as the Field Management and Special Events Coordinator for the Capital Area Soccer League (CASL) in 2003 and 2004. During this time he organized events for the club, the Atlantic Coast Conference men's and women's soccer tournaments, and NCAA Championships hosted by CASL in Cary, N.C., at the SAS Soccer Complex.

Piranian earned his Bachelor of Science degree in consumer studies from Virginia Tech University in 2002 after four successful years as a defender on the men's soccer team. The Hokies tallied a 43-22-4 record, accumulating double-digit wins each season Piranian took the field.

Piranian completed a master's degree in sports management from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2009 and holds his NSCAA Advanced National Diploma, USSF "B" Coaching License and is an USILA and MDIA Lacrosse Official.